Turok - Welcome to the Jungle

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Why a raptor is like a 400 pound reptilian pitbull.

By Cam Shea

The Turok series has had something of a tumultuous history. Once held up by Nintendo fans as an N64 headliner, the Turok games steadily declined in quality, with Turok Evolution seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin. That, obviously enough, wasn't to be the end of the story. Buena Vista Games picked up the license and put Propaganda Games to work on a new instalment. From what we've seen this is shaping up to be the game Turok fans have been craving, with lush Unreal Engine 3-powered environments, some seriously massive prehistoric predators, and an emphasis on believable AI that makes the world of the game feel like a living, breathing ecosystem. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the game, however, is the fact that the player is an interloper in this primeval world, on the tail of a war criminal named Kane. Dinosaurs are both a threat to the player and a tool in your arsenal that can help you gain the upper hand in the fight against Kane and his troops. To get the low-down on how the game is progressing, we caught up with Josh Holmes, the VP at Propaganda.

IGN: Tell us a little about Propaganda Games. What titles have the staff worked on previously and what's the goal of the studio? Josh Holmes: The team is composed of veteran talent from all over the industry who bring a wealth of experience working on some of the biggest franchise titles in gaming. Franchises such as Splinter Cell, Battlefield, Metroid Prime, Quake, SSX, Def Jam, NBA Street, Bond, Need for Speed, Prince of Persia, and many others. Our collective experience includes shooters, action, racing and fighting titles, and it's this unique mix of skill and knowledge that enables us to collaborate on a phenomenal game.

The name's Turok. Joseph Turok.

IGN: The Turok games were originally based on a comic series - how does this game fit into the world of Turok? Is it based on the comics, the previous games or is it an all-new beast? Josh Holmes: In crafting our concept, we tried to capture the spirit of both the original comic book series and the N64 games while breathing new life into the franchise. The parts of the original games that we found most inspiring were the expansive outdoor environments, the journey of the central character, the visceral shooting experience, the vast arsenal of inventive weaponry and, of course, the dinosaurs. We've tried to weave these elements into a completely new Turok experience, featuring a new story, new characters and a fresh new gameplay experience. We wanted to take the game in a bold new direction.

IGN: Tell us about the game's setting and characters. How important will the narrative be to the game, or is it just an excuse for the action? Josh Holmes: The storyline for this game follows Joseph Turok, an ex-black ops specialist brought back into the military and added to a team of special forces soldiers on a mission to track down and capture his former mentor, Roland Kane. We wanted to create a gritty futuristic setting that felt grounded in credible science. The game experience is about surviving the nightmare of your surroundings while coming to terms with your own internal demons. These themes are reflected in the look of the game. Turok features a deep single player storyline that unfolds in episodic fashion as the player progresses through the game, so the story cinematics are integrated seamlessly with gameplay; helping to move the narrative forward, providing context for the action at hand.

Stalking the deadliest prey of all... man.

IGN: How would you characterise Turok? Is it a straight-up run-and-gun shooter, or do other more tactical and stealth elements come into play? Josh Holmes: We want to provide an experience that is more strategic and engaging than your typical shooter. The single player game is designed to create an intense action-oriented experience driven by a cinematic storyline. Each area of the game is crafted to provide multiple strategic approaches to any given situation. The goal is to create a balance of different gameplay opportunities while giving players the freedom to make decisions based on their individual tendencies.

IGN: Will you be able to use the dinosaurs to your advantage and if so, how? Josh Holmes: Creatures in the game are designed to be intelligent predatory animals; as such they are driven by instinct and will often go after the nearest threat or food source. The player can take advantage of this, luring creatures to attack other enemies, turning them into a highly effective weapon. A big part of the game experience is learning the individual characteristics of different creatures and how best to manipulate their natural behavioural tendencies. This provides an awesome "sandbox" element to the gameplay.

IGN: Tell us a little about some of the creatures we'll be facing off against. Can the player even take down the biggest dinosaurs - such as the T-Rex - in the game? Or will you be looking to avoid confrontation? Josh Holmes: We wanted close encounters with the dinosaurs and other creatures in the game to be scary at a "soil-your-pants" level. When some of the creatures in our game attack you, they are able to knock you down and begin gnawing on you, prompting a life and death struggle to break free. Being mauled by a raptor is like having a 400-pound reptilian pit bull going for your throat. It's intense! There are different interactions for each type of creature in the game.

Now who's the savage killer, huh?

IGN: How much emphasis will there be on squad-based combat? Will kind of control will you have over squad mates? Josh Holmes: There are points in the story where Turok is fighting alongside other soldiers, but it's not a squad-based shooter and you won't be directing other combatants. From a character perspective it wouldn't have made sense to have Turok giving orders. In the story, Turok is a loner and an outsider from the team he is working with (at least in the beginning). We also felt that the type of gameplay that comes from the use of squad commands was counter to the vision we had for the game and wouldn't be in keeping with the spirit of previous Turok titles.

IGN: The Turok games are notable for their varied and explosive weapon load-outs. Will you be carrying on the tradition in this regard? Josh Holmes: We're certainly creating an action-oriented gameplay experience. With that in mind, we have a full arsenal of weapons that deliver the sort of excessive firepower that has long been the hallmark of the Turok series. At the same time, we are creating strategic gameplay opportunities and choices within each battle set-up. Players are able to approach a battle in different ways depending on their particular style of play, and stealth is one such option available to the player. However, our vision of stealth is much more fast-paced and action-oriented than other dedicated stealth games.

IGN: Will the game have co-op through the campaign? Josh Holmes: Wait and see.

IGN: Are wild dinosaurs a factor during multiplayer games? Will players be able to take on the role of dinosaurs during the multiplayer game? Josh Holmes: Can't divulge just yet.